Which of the following texts is the BEST example of the argument that a work’s meaning does not come entirely from the imagination of the author ?

Which of the following texts is the BEST example of the argument that a work’s meaning does not come entirely from the imagination of the author ?

A. Plato’s The Republic
B. T.S. Eliot’s “Tradition and the Individual Talent”
C. Jacques Derrida’s Of Grammatology
D. Roland Barthes’s “The Death of the Author”

What fundamental idea does psychoanalytic criticism hold about literary texts ?

What fundamental idea does psychoanalytic criticism hold about literary texts ?

A. Literary texts should not be read as a projection of the author’s psyche.
B. Literary texts solely reflect an author’s intentions.
C. Literary texts are unlike dreams because they have a system of order and produce meaning.
D. Literary texts reveal secret elements of an author’s unconscious.

Which of the following is a rule of semiotics ?

Which of the following is a rule of semiotics ?

A. All linguistic concepts evolve solely out of the responses of people within a specific historical era.
B. All linguistic and social phenomena are texts, and the object of studying these texts is to reveal the underlying codes that make them meaningful.
C. All linguistics is in some way related to class struggle.
D. All linguistics is related to history, and therefore the meaning of linguistics relies exclusively on historical context.

What is Christopher Ricks’s attitude toward literary theory ?

What is Christopher Ricks’s attitude toward literary theory ?

A. He considers it to be vital in order to understand literary texts.
B. He considers theory to be the only way that literary texts can be interpreted.
C. He has no misgivings about the practical usability of literary theory.
D. He feels that literary theory is ultimately too limited in scope to serve as a proper method of interpretation.

In his essay “The Death of the Author,” Roland Barthes argues what about literature ?

In his essay “The Death of the Author,” Roland Barthes argues what about literature ?

A. Biographical information about the author must be considered when evaluating literature.
B. A text and its author text are unrelated.
C. It is possible to distill meaning from a work based on the author’s politics.
D. Authorial intent must be considered when evaluating literature.